Seahawks notebook: Former UW receiver hopes to make good impression

Kevin Smith led the Huskies in receiving yards last season, and now the undrafted rookie hopes to earn a spot with the Seahawks

Seahawks cornerback Terrance Parks leaps in the air Saturday after linebacker Horace Miller, lower right, broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) during drills in Renton. Parks later intercepted a pass in the end zone during a scrimmage portion of practice.
The Associated Press

Three field goals and no touchdowns for the Seattle Seahawks in their first mock game or a rookie wide receiver beating the NFL’s best corner on a fade route?

The latter, most likely.

In the second quarter of the Seahawks’ scrimmage Saturday, former Washington Huskies receiver Kevin Smith ran down the right sideline with Richard Sherman in tow. Tarvaris Jackson looked and found Smith downfield, who successfully beat Sherman for a 26-yard grab.

Smith broke away from Sherman after the catch and might have gone on to score a touchdown had the Seahawks been tackling to the ground.

But for now, Smith has reason to be proud of the accomplishment.

“We’re always competing, no matter what,” Smith said. “If it’s the ones versus ones or twos versus the ones, we’re always coming out competing to the best of our abilities.

“It was cool. We go at it on both sides of the ball, one on one.”

Smith, who led the Huskies in receiving yards last season, went undrafted. He originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals but was released in early June and briefly spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released again on June 19.

He joined the Seahawks on June 25 and was reunited with his former teammate — Jermaine Kearse — who was also undrafted. Kearse was crucial for the Seahawks in their Super Bowl run, after catching seven passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns throughout the playoffs.

“He’s been right there helping me out since Day 1,” Smith said. “Just the little things with special teams and what not, and just learning from him. When we were in college it was kind of the same stuff but with just a little tweak to it.”

Smith hopes to find a place in the receiving corps like Kearse has, along with other fellow undrafted free agents Doug Baldwin and Ricardo Lockette.

“Wherever I can fit, whatever they want me to do, I can go out and do it,” Smith said. “Either just blocking, I’ll go out there and block, or running routes, or going on special teams and make it work there.”

PARKS PICKS OFF WILSON

Terrance Parks wasn’t sure who tipped Russell Wilson’s pass to Kearse on the goal line. But even if he did, he still probably wouldn’t take the credit.

“I give it all to the defense,” Parks said. “I was just fortunate enough to make the play. We competed our butts off and we got good results.”

Parks’ diving interception on Wilson was one of the better defensive plays in the scrimmage. The second-year pro from Florida State went undrafted in 2012 and spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Canadian Football League Hamilton Tiger-Cats before joining the Seahawks.

To assess Parks’ versatility as a defensive back, he’s been shifting from cornerback to strong and free safety, where he hopes to make a good impression on the coaches.

“Hopefully I’m showing that I’m a worker,” Parks said. “I come in day in and day out and put it on the line for my teammates, period. I’ll do whatever it takes to try and better this team and just go hard every day.”

OFFENSIVE LINES WOES

Rookie offensive tackle Justin Britt injured his left shoulder during the scrimmage and sat out most of the game. Britt, Seattle’s second round draft pick out of Missouri, has been starting at right tackle.